Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-15
DUNGEON TO PALACE.
Christians 0ftentimes Live in Dread
Of Dgath--Parting From Friends
the Only Sting.
Reasons Why We Should not Fear the
Struggle st the Moment the
Soul and Body farEs
Tho Obgequiss of q GOOD Ran Should be
Full of Eeiaicing-So Weeping Be
cause a Soul IL TaSoa Home.
Special to the Gazette.

lYn tabernacle being closed Tor enIaISe-
ment, the Rev. T. Dewitt Talmsge, D. D.,
pastor. spends his frstSaboath away from
his flock the present season, at his sum
mer home. His subiac. for to-day Wss;
"From Dungeon to Palace" and his
text: "The time Of my departure = at
hand. - Timothy ", 6.
The way out Of this world is so blocked
up with coffin and hearse, and under
takers spade and screw-driver, that the
Christian can hardly think as he ought Of
the most cheerful passage IL all his MS
tory. We hsng black instead Of white
over the place where The good man gets
MS last victory. We stand weeping over
g heap Of chains which the freed soul
has shaken Of, and we say: "Poor nan.
What q pity il was ne had to come 10
this,H Come 10 wat? BY the zine the
people hsve assembled Gt the CbseQGiss,
tLGt meu has been three days 50 happy
that al the Joy Of earth accumulated
would be w-etchedECss beside i, and be
mighs better weep over you because YOU
have 20 stay, than You weep over him be-
cause he has 20 90. u is fortunate
thing tnat q good m6u does not have 20
wait TO see
lis owN oBsEQUIES,
they would be 50 disc0Td3ut with his
own experience. L the Israelites should
90 back 10 Egypt and mourn over the
brick kiIns they CnGe left, they would not
be anv more silly ;hsn inst Christian VINO
should forsGke heaven and come down
and mourn because lie had TO leave this
world. Our ideas OF the Christians
death are morbid and sickly. We look
upon it as 3 DARK hole in which man
stumbles when lis breath gives out. This
whole subject is OdCrUus with YGrnish
and di5infectaats, instead Of being sweet
with mignOnette, Paul, Il NY text, takes
that crest Clo6 OF 3 word "aeath' aud
throws Is away, ana speaks c. lis "Ce-
partUre3-S beautiful, bright, suggestive
word, descriptive Of every Christians re
lease.
Now, departure implies 9 starting
place ana 9 place Of destinsJ0a. when
Paul Left this world, WHIST Was The STAR
ing point? It was scene Of great my
steal distress. 1t WAS the Iu-l2nu-G, the
lower dungeon Ct the Mamer5ine prison.
The top dungeon was h2C enough Il
having no means Of ipgTGss or cgrgss bat
through on opening in ,l1 top. Through
tnst the prisoner WIS lowered, a1d
through that came all the food ard cir
and light received. j wA5 3 terrible
place, that upper dungeon; but the Tul-
lisnum was the lower dungeon, and that
was still more WIatCbed, the only lsaE
aud the only air coming
through tn roof, end that
roof tsG fG-l Of the upper dungeon. That
Efg -,trI's last earthly residence. II was
P dungeon lust six feet and half high.
It was q doleiul place. 1t had the chill OF
long centuries OF dampuess. 10 Was u.tby
with the long inCarCeraticns Of
MISERABLE wRETCHEs.
II was there that Paul spent his last dat7
on earth, and It is there that l see MN TO-
day, in the fearful dungeon, shlYeIlng,
blue with the cold, waiting ior that ola
oyercoat which he had sent fCT up to
Troas, and which they had not yet SEM
down, Notwithstanding he had written Tor
Il.
If some skillful surgeon should 90 into
that dungeon where Paul Is lncsrceraled'
we might find out what are the prospects
OF Paul's living through the rough IN
prisonment In the first place, be is 81
AT that very time when be NOS. needs the
warmth and the sunlight and the fresh
sir, he is shut out from the sun. W ha)
are those scars CT his snkles? Why those
were gotten when he Wss fast, his
feet in the stocks. Every time h.
turned, the flesh on his ankles
started. What are those scars on his
back? You know he was whipped live
N
strokes-oue hundred and uinety-hEe
bruises on the back count them
mSde by The jews with T5os
of elm-woOd, each one q the
one hundred and niuety-fve strokes
bringing the blood. Look 81 PaUl'a fac.
and look at his arms. Where did he sc
those bruises? Think IL WaS when ht
wss struggling ashore amidst the shiVerll
timbars of the shipWreCk. / see gas
in Paups side Where did he g5s taSJ
! think he got that in the tussel VIII.
hiohwavmen, Tor he hsG been in peril o
robbers, and be hsd money OF his own
He was 8 mechanic as well IS al apostle
and I think the tents ne made were q
good IS his sermons.
There is q WaHness about Paups looks
1s Whist makes that? think e paT. OF ms
= came from the fact that he was for TWEEN
nty-four hours on plank 10 the Mediter
rranesn sea, suffering terribly, before n
was rescued; for he saws positively: =
was night and day in the deep" OA
WORKOUT,
FNACIATED OLD NAN,
surely you must be melancholy; no COZ
stitution could endure this ard be cheer
fuI. But l press my w6y through I'd
orison until leone up close to where he is
and by the faint light that stream
through the opening see on his lace
supernatural 10y, and / bow before nm
snd / say: "Aoed man, how can 20
keen cheerful amidst all this gloom!
His voice stsrtles the darkness OF IN
Mace as he cries out: 81 am now read
10 be offered, end the time OF my dc
usrture is at hand" Hsrk! what Is tha
sbufIing Of feet in the upper dungeon
Why, Paul hes en- invitation TO ban
cuet. ard he is going to dine to-day wit
the king. Those shulilirg feet are tn
feet of the executioners. They com;
and they CRY down through the hole {
the dungeon: "HugTy up, old MAJ
Come now; get yourself ready" Why
Paul was ready. He had nothing to psc
up. He mad no baggage 10 take. lie ha
been ready good while. l see him ri
ing up, and Strengthening out his stifene
limbs, and pushing back his white ha-
from his creviced forehead, and see biz
looking up through the hole N the roc
of the dungeon into the tace OF n
executioner, and hear him say: al 81
now ready to be offered, and the time {
nv departure is ct hand" Then the
81 IrJnn